Quite possibly the best Dead Arm release I've seen in recent years. d'Arenberg's flagship leading from the front in style. What a beauty!
Initially, on opening, the aromas were quite heady. No where near its peak, methanol aromas almost torched my mind. I left it in the glass for a while and things improved markedly.
Cloves, star anise, leather and dark berry fruit leap forward after a couple of swirls of the glass. Dig around a bit more and plummy fruit plus some earthiness rear their head.
Despite being released with three years under its belt, one of which is in bottle, there's plenty of gas in the tank ensuring aging will be a breeze. Bitter dark chocolate and baked plums curl around the mouth on a long finish. Partnered with tight acidity, this is a good example of buy now and drink (way) later. On day three of tasting it was absolutely humming.
Drink 2021 to 2035+
95/100
Region: McLaren Vale
RRP: $70
RRP: $70
Source: Sample
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